NASA

At his Senate nomination hearing yesterday, when asked whether he agrees with the scientific consensus that climate is changing and humans are the dominant cause, NASA Deputy Administrator nominee James Morhard stated that he believes “the climate is changing and man has a significant impact on it.” When pressed further about whether he accepts the scientific consensus that humans are the dominant cause, he replied that he cannot speak authoritatively to make that statement. Given James Morhard’s discomfort with speaking to this topic, it is critical that moving forward, he be briefed expeditiously by experts from NASA’s Earth Science Division to fill this knowledge gap.

The President’s 2018 Budget, released March 16, 2017, ‘terminates’ NASA Earth science missions PACE, CLARREO Pathfinder, OCO-3 and DSCOVR Earth viewing instruments. What would we lose if these NASA missions were not continued through the appropriations process and eventually the President’s signature for the 2018 fiscal year? Safeguards to avoid eating toxic shellfish, reduce aviation disruptions and take precautions for unhealthy air quality, to name a few. Let’s tease apart the alphabet soup of NASA missions and take a brief look at a few of their potential benefits.